Canterbury

Canterbury's population expanded in the 10 years leading up to 2011. At the same time there were changes in religion, housing tenure and marriage.

The population passed 150,000

In the 10 years leading up to 2011, the population of Canterbury increased by 12%, from about 135,000 to 151,000.

The addition of almost 16,000 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Canterbury was home to, on average, 3.5 people per football pitch-sized piece of land (about 7,140 square metres).

Population density was similar to the average across the South East

Population density (usual residents per 7,140 square metres) across the South East, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Canterbury

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Canterbury remained 39 years.

This city had a slightly lower average age than the South East and had a similar age to the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of almost 6,200 people between the ages of 20 and 29 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by about 2,000.

About 16% of people in Canterbury are aged between 20 and 29 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Canterbury by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

More students

The percentage of Canterbury residents that were studying increased from 4.2% to 7.1% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just over 4 in 10 (44%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 47% in 2001. The percentage of Canterbury residents that were unemployed increased from 2.7% to 3.1%.

The proportion of students increased faster here than in any other local authority district across the South East. As a result, this area had the region’s highest proportion of students.

The percentage of students in Canterbury increased by 2.9 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Canterbury, the South East and England that said they were in education, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Canterbury

The number of people in Canterbury that described themselves as having no religion increased from about 23,000 in 2001 to just over 43,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 17% to 29% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across the South East (from 17% to 28%) and the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Canterbury that described themselves as Christian decreased from just over 99,000 in 2001 to just over 91,000 in 2011 (from 73% to 60%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation increased from about 11,000 to just under 12,000. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 8.0% to 7.9%.

Just over 1,800 people (0.6%) said they were Muslim, up from about 870 in 2001 (1.2%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population without a religion in Canterbury increased by 12 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Canterbury by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of households in Canterbury that rented privately increased from 13% to 20% between the last two censuses.

The proportion that lived in social housing remained close to 12%, while the percentage of Canterbury households that owner their home decreased from 72% to 66%.

The proportion of privately rented homes increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 10% in 2001 to 16% in 2011). Across England, the proportion increased from 9.9% to 17%.

Private renting in Canterbury increased by 6.6 percentage points

Percentage of households in Canterbury, the South East and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

Relationships in Canterbury

The percentage of married people fell in Canterbury at a faster rate than across the South East.

In Canterbury, the proportion of married people decreased from 49% in 2001 to 43% in 2011. During the same period, the regional proportion decreased from 53% to 49%.

Across England, the share of married people decreased from 51% to 47%.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership in Canterbury increased from 32% to 39%, while the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner increased from 10% to 11%.

The proportion of married people was lower than across the South East

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that that said they were married across local authority areas in the South East and the average across England, March 2011

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Area report data

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